Going Just a Little Bit Further

2024, January, Issue 81

To go beyond belief, we simply relax.  We let thoughts be, let them pass.  We look inward at mind, remaining in that relaxed state, seeing what is in this moment.  We don’t force an idea of what is, we don’t create a thought that explains this.  We simply remain in a state of continuous equanimity, relaxing into radiance, becoming beyond by not moving, by gazing into our Real Nature, becoming familiar with that, getting into that.

Going beyond requires us to relax, while we experience luminosity beyond what we had ever thought possible.  It is pure radiance, beyond the relatively dull condition of pure light.  When we experience this in meditation or dreams, we might jump, we might become startled by that condition suddenly appearing.  So, we continuously become acclimated to that through practice.

As soon as a thought forms, let it pass, show it no special attention.  Don’t make it bigger or try to subdue it, just let it be, just let it pass.  In a very small way, little by little, slowly slowly, with many small sessions, we become familiar with mind, we become accustomed to relaxing.  In time, we learn to relax completely in this forever moment of awakening.

Once we have recognized the Nature of Mind, then the experience of sitting in this way becomes much more challenging, mainly because it is so simple.  We are so habituated into fabricating everything, so addicted to effort, that the practice of not applying effort becomes a real challenge.  Getting to the point where we can recognize the Nature of Mind is tremendously challenging.  Once we have realized the Nature of Mind, then the real challenge begins.  We discover that we had no idea how challenging it is to actually awaken.

~Robert Aho~

An excerpt from, The Frog: A Spiritual Autobiography, Spanning Many Lifetimes, pg. 397, © 2021.

If people are arguing about something, then that is relative reality.  We see this all the time on a mundane level.  It might be politics or philosophy or religion.  It might be the color of the sky or if something in the refrigerator smells a little off.  It can be anything whatsoever.  People argue about it, try their best to agree, splinter off, come back ready to fight, then have their entire world view come into crisis.

The crisis itself is an opportunity for growth and discovery.  If we want to know Ultimate Reality, then we don’t grow more closed-minded.  We open our heart and mind completely.  This is not something we can do, unless we learn to face reality head-on.  It takes courage to go even a little bit beyond what we think we know.  If we have a defensive posture, when it comes to reality, then we are fighting against who we really are, building ego and delusion, becoming darker and more closed-minded.

It is even difficult to understand just what is happening here when we accept the reality or our natural condition.  Even at that point of great wisdom, we create subtle little ways to block ourselves from going further.  We need to go just a little bit further, or reality will continue to elude us and we’ll remain in cyclic existence forever.

People might say that this is God, or the Light, or Source, or Dharmakaya.  These arguments, these assertions, are all based in relative reality.  They are subject to change.  They depend upon an independent dualistic point of view creating an object to imagine—and they are all pointless. 

If we have created an object in our mind, even if we are now certain that we’ve attained the most profound correct intellectual discovery ever in all of human existence, it is not Ultimate Reality.  Intellectual assertions are all relative reality.  We need to go beyond in order to discover what is real.  Ultimate Reality does not depend upon a dualistic independent point of view.  It is not an object to discover.  It is not a religion or a philosophy.  We can make no assertion whatsoever, when it comes to Ultimate Reality.  We need to go beyond our constraints.

So, sometimes when I talk about my book, The Frog, I explain it in a humorous way, or in a way that seems more than a little bit weird.  If you really study that book, you will discover a transmission that has been accumulated over many many lifetimes.  I’m explaining a complete path to enlightenment that hops around, makes fun of itself, is deadly serious at times.

I’m waiting for a book club to approach me with questions, because this is not a simple book.  It requires dedication to begin, as well as to complete.  My own way of revealing Spiritual Practice might be too much for many, or it might be appreciated by just a few.

This is really a compendium that you can use, even if you do not seek me out for individual instructions.  It’s meant to give you confidence in your own inquiries into mind, as well as taking that next step.  This is not so easy; it takes great confidence to awaken.  If you wish to do so, you need to learn that there is much more to that than anyone will be able to say.

Blessings in Light,

Robert Aho